10 Kisses
by DarkQueenDraconite
Summary: Ten special kisses for Mikan and Natsume, ranging from "practicing" to "in the other's arms". Sometimes AU, sometimes in the manga or anime.
1. Chapter 1

**xx-10 Kisses for Mikan and Natsume-xx**

_Author: DarkQueenDraconite_

Description: A series of usually lighthearted oneshots about kisses throughout their lives.

Author's Comments: Please review.

**xxx**

"Natsume!"

A high childish voice cut through the air and reached Natsume's ears, and he scowled in irritation. He'd gotten used to blocking out the constant yelling and laughing of second grade recess, but her voice somehow had this weird quality to it that just made it so _loud_.

He snapped his 'Superman' comic shut. "What do you want, Polka-Dots?"

"Hey!" The girl in front of him with her hands on her hips, scowled. "I told you to stop calling me that! I invite you to my sleepover once and you see my pajamas, and then you start naming me after them! And then even Ruka-pyon starts calling me that! You really are a horrible person, Natsume."

Natsume smirked. He was only too aware that Ruka harbored a huge crush on the girl in front of him, and was resorting to taking love advice from Natsume. Natsume, being Natsume, decided to trick his poor friend and told him to be as mean as possible to her. Ruka, being the overly-nice person he was, could only call her "Polka-Dots" as he tried to be mean, but then he would rush out of the room, mortified.

"I'm not the one disturbing other peoples' recess, _Polka-Dots_."

"Y-you!" Mikan wailed. "I'm not being mean! I just wanted to ask you something!"

Natsume glanced at the other children. They were all very far away, sliding up and down the colorful cheap things called slides. No one could see Natsume Hyuuga talking to a _girl_.

"What is it?"

Mikan suddenly became very interested in her shoelaces. "I, um, I, well, y-you know, it's Valentine's Day tomorrow?"

Natsume regarded her warily. "Is it? What about it?" His stoic face betrayed no emotion, but inside he was pondering. _Is it that Andou? Always thought he looked fishy…movie star face, bah. _He scowled.

"Natsume?"

Natsume looked up at her, still scowling. He noticed that her ears were glowing red and that her eyes seemed to be looking everywhere except him.

Suddenly the eight-year-old boy seemed to reach an epiphany. _Is this not about Andou after all? Is she going to ask me out? _The boy suddenly felt very uncomfortable, but with a strange sort of thrill…

He scowled. What was he thinking? Of course he'd say no. Why would he ever say yes to a stupid girl like her?

"I won't take any chocolates." He said flatly.

Mikan gaped at him, open-mouthed. "H-how did you know what I was going to say?"

"It's obvious. You're so simple and naïve."

She stomped her foot in frustration. "Just cause you're the Class President doesn't make you so much smarter than everyone else!" She cried.

He rolled his eyes, reaching for his comic again.

Mikan snatched it away. "Alright, if you won't take any chocolates, how about snacks? Hotaru loves them."

Natsume frowned, now getting impatient. "Look, I'm not going out with you no matter what you give me, and that's final."

He was unprepared for the scream of an indignant girl, and wincing, he clapped his hands over his ears as disturbed birds flew out of sight.

"What is wrong with you?" He said angrily, ripping the comic from her hands. "Just because I won't go out with you—"

"I don't want to go out with you, you idiot!" Mikan screeched, whacking him on the head as she talked.

Rubbing his head, Natsume scowled up at her. "Then what do you want, ugly?"

"U-ugly?" Mikan trembled with barely suppressed rage. "Why you-why you-"

Natsume sighed. Hopefully she would go away now. Most girls did when he told them that.

When he looked up from his comic again, she was still there, her back facing him.

He sighed and went back to his comic. A few seconds later, he tentatively looked up again, and he blinked as he saw her facing him, her eyes staring intently into his.

He felt a slightly warm sensation in his cheeks, and felt slightly annoyed. "So what do you want?"

"Do you know Tsubasa-senpai?"

Natsume blinked, feeling a strange clench of his chest. He ignored it. "Yeah."

"W-well, you know he's really cool and that he's the nicest senpai I have, and that he has a face like a movie star's…" she sighed dreamily.

Natsume frowned. The clenching in him was getting worse. "What's your point? Spit it out."

She scowled, angry at being cut off. "You don't have to be so mean about it! I just wanted to know that I want to get together with Tsubasa-senpai tomorrow, and maybe, I'll be able to k-k-k-"

"Kiss him?" Natsume said tersely, unconsciously clenching his fists.

Mikan blushed. "Y-yeah…"

He leaned back, trying to keep his face under control (it seemed to want to cry, for some reason). "Why don't you just give him chocolates?"

Mikan sighed, exasperated. "That's what boys usually do, Natsume!"

Natsume frowned. A lot of girls seemed to like giving _him _chocolates.

"Anyway, maybe we'll even get to go on a date!" She said brightly.

Natsume snorted. "Go on your little date, then. It doesn't have anything to do with me." He turned pointedly away from her, and opened his little book. Several seconds passed. He frowned, trying to concentrate on the words, but somehow they just passed out of focus every time.

"Natsume?"

Natsume's fingers twitched.

"Natsume, I'm really sorry…" The girl said hesitantly. "It's not like I'm using you. You see, it's because you're one of the only people I trust with this…"

Natsume's eyebrow quirked. _What on Earth is she talking about?_

"I know it's a lot to ask you…I mean, if you came up to me and asked to practice kissing, I'd think about it too…so I understand if you don't want to. Kissing is really important, after all, and your first kiss is supposed to be great…and I'm only eight, after all…and besides, kissing Tsubasa-senpai isn't that important yet…" she trailed off, a miserable expression on her face.

_Kissing practice? With me? _Natsume's brain froze. Was this what she was embarrassed about earlier? She wanted to practice kissing with him? He felt his cheeks burning, and he pretended to read his comic book as he tried to think of an answer.

As he stared at his comic, he heard footsteps. Footsteps slowly trudging away from him.

He gritted his teeth, willing the red in his cheeks to go away. "Polka-Dots."

She turned around, surprise flitting across her face. "Huh?"

"Come over here."

Reluctantly, she swung around and came back to him, looking apprehensive.

"Closer."

She leaned in closer, her two braids fluttering in the wind.

"Closer."

He thought he saw a blush on her as she leaned even closer, so that their faces were nearly touching.

He smirked at her languidly, and her mouth dropped. His hands slowly snaked their way up, and he saw her eyes widen and her breath come in rapid gasps.

He cupped one hand on her cheek, and he—

Tugged sharply on one braid with the other hand.

"AIYEEEEE!" Mikan screeched, hopping back. "You idiot, Natsume! You absolutely mean, bully!" She attempted to punch him, and he evaded smoothly.

"I can't believe you fell for that, Polka-Dots."

"I can't believe you just did that!" She fumed.

He raised an eyebrow. "I didn't do anything wrong."

"You did!"

"Fine, I'll make it up to you, then." He stood up, and walked up to her, and she looked at him suspiciously.

He leaned in, and Mikan blushed, stepping backwards slightly. He stepped forwards.

S-NAP!

"Na-Na-Na-Na-NATSUME!"

The remaining birds fled.

Mikan stood, trembling, her face red and her arms crossed over her chest. "YOU PERVERT!" She screeched, stomping her foot. "H-how could you…?"

He glanced at her with amusement. "Pull your shirt forwards? Polka-Dots, it's not as if you have a chest in the first place."

"YOU!" She wailed. "You moron! I'm going to tell on you, you great bully!"

He regarded her, fiery amusement dancing in his eyes. "I saw Tsubasa doing it the other day to Misaki. Are you going to tell on him?"

Mikan's jaw dropped as she flushed. "Tsubasa-senpai never—Tsubasa-senpai would never—"

Natsume's eyes darkened. "Alright, then I'll stop playing."

And this time, he marched up to her, glowering slightly.

Mikan ran backwards.

He ran forwards.

She ran backwards.

He _sprinted _forwards.

"Natsume!" Mikan breathed, looking up to him as she stood with her back to a tree. "What are you—"

He leaned down, and this time—

The kiss was clumsy, two mouths grazing each other, but Natsume never knew how her lips just seemed to melt into his, and that that how natural it was that his arms came up and rested on her shoulders, and that how after it, his mouth missed the warmness that came from hers and that he felt a greater leaping sensation than he had ever felt from when he was playing with fire…

They flinched back after that brief contact, and Mikan stared up at him with wide eyes.

Natsume regained his bearings quickly, though he still felt rather dizzy. "You practiced. Now go."

Mikan kept staring at him.

"Mikan, go."

Her name seemed to startle her from her reverie.

"Um, all right…" she mumbled, walking backwards into a tree in her confusion. "I—"

She left, stumbling over sticks and holding onto trees for support. She couldn't believe how much that one contact could lift her like that…and it was only Natsume! She had never been so close to him before, and she could smell the smoky scent that came with him, and she thought she had tasted apples when she kissed him…

Natsume stared after her, his heart beating frantically. How could she, how could she have so much power over him? She hadn't tasted like anything remotely sweet, and from that brief touch he could tell she had just eaten her bento, and that there were tangerines in there…

He licked his lips, resolving to buy tangerines when he got home. But he knew they couldn't compare to a kiss…a kiss with her.

**xxx**


	2. Chapter 2

**xx-10 Kisses for Mikan and Natsume-xx**

_Author: DarkQueenDraconite_

Description: A series of usually lighthearted oneshots about kisses throughout their lives.

Author's Comments: Thank you for the wonderful reviews! Please tell me if you like this one also. Warning: Major Angst Ahead!

**xxx**

He crouched over her, raindrops sliding down his spiky hair and his shoulders shaking in his sodden clothes, as the sky poured its heart out and the rain fell in rivers.

"It wasn't supposed to happen this way." He said, trembling like a fallen leaf, his eyes glazed over as he stared. "Mikan, this isn't happening, is it?"

She smiled at him, sadness in her usually happy grin. "Don't be sad…we can't change what happened already."

His anguished eyes fell upon her drawn face, and he slammed his heads into his hands. "It's all my fault…why didn't you stay away from me? This would've never happened, never…"

With a great effort, she raised her hand and placed it on his hands. "I'm sorry, Natsume." She said quietly.

He gripped her hand as if it was a lifeline. "You didn't have to—you didn't have to go this far to save somebody, Mikan…" he said, tears trickling down his face. "You didn't have use your Alice so much to destroy your body! You didn't have to be so selfless all the time!"

"Oh, Natsume…!" She laughed, tears pouring down her face. And then she stopped, wincing as she placed a hand over her throat. "I never could let someone down…and I would've never…never found you if I were selfish, right? You say that all the time."

"It's not fair to lose you so soon…" he protested. "You realize how much my life is based around you?"

"I never expected those words to come out of your mouth, Natsume-_kun_." She teased, but with a grimace on her face, wincing as she spoke.

He seemed to realize this, and quickly put a finger to her lips. "Hush. Don't talk." He said.

She looked at him with such a look in her eyes—a look of sadness, of _pity_…now, when she was about to die, she was worrying for _him_.

"You moron." He managed, lying down at her side. "Don't just die on me like this. I…I love you, and nothing will ever change that."

She smiled at him, her hair splayed around her, and Natsume thought had she not been so pale, she could've been an angel.

"Natsume…" she whispered.

"I said, don't talk!" He hissed, his eyes dark with worry and grief. "Just stay with me…a little longer, alright? Ruka might find us soon, and Imai—"

"—Hotaru!—"

"—Fine, Hotaru, then, she could invent something, something that could help you get better, I know she could!"

She shook her head sadly, the same smile on her face.

"Damn it, damn it!" He cried. "Why can't you just worry about yourself for once?"

She rolled her eyes with an effort. "Natsume, I'm about to ask a selfish request."

His eyes widened. If he knew her, this selfish request…he couldn't…"No, don't, not now—"

She blinked slowly. "I'm sorry, Natsume. It's selfish, right?"

He shook his head. "No, it isn't, but Polka—"

She placed a finger on his lips, and he quieted.

"Natsume…can you kiss me? One last time?"

He closed his eyes, his world crashing around him. He slowly caressed her cheek. "Of course I can, Mikan."

He slowly leaned down, maneuvering himself beside her easily, and very gently, he brought her face near his, meeting her lips in the rain, the water dripping into their mouths, and he could taste the slightest hint of tangerine and blood as he probed her mouth tenderly, and he held her tightly in his arms, willing her to never go away, to savor this moment forever—

And Mikan gave a shuddering gasp.

"Mikan!" He cried, holding her.

"Natsume…don't worry too much…I'm sure there's another world…and we'll see each other again…" she said tenderly, holding his sharply angled face in her small hands. "I'm…sure…"

Her eyes slowly drifted closed, and she had a slight smile on her face, and Natsume could only watch in a daze as his only love slipped away from his arms, leaving him with the rain. Her hands fell at her sides, and the splashes were almost inaudible in the rain.

He sat there for hours, stubbornly refusing to leave, and finally, his body slumped and he gave way to exhaustion, into unconsciousness. He dreamed of her.

_"Natsume?"_

_ He looked up, amused. "Now what is it? This is the fourth time you've come in the past hour, Polka-Dots."_

_ She didn't smile. Immediately, he realized something was wrong. "What's wrong?" He asked tersely._

_ She looked down. "I…I…"_

_ He sucked in his breath. "No. Not another one of those missions. Those are too dangerous."_

_ "But I can't just leave her, Natsume! She's just a little girl who has the wrong Alice! I'm the only one who can save her, because I'm the only one who can nullify other Alices!" Mikan's speech was impassioned, and she gazed at Natsume with a determined glint in her eyes._

_ "Damn them! Putting you on a mission like this, and appealing to your softness…"_

_ "Natsume, I'll be fine." She rolled her eyes._

_ "No, you won't. I'm coming with you."_

_ "But—!"_

_ "They owe me." He said this with a steely glint in his eye that told her that nothing she said would matter._

_ She smiled at him. "You big worrywart, Natsume."_

_ He looked away, a slight tinge on his cheeks. "Shut up."_

_ A few days later, they were huddled around a campfire, courtesy of Natsume, but Mikan still shivered, tears leaking out of her eyes. They had failed. The little girl was gone forever._

_ He, too, was disturbed, viciously jabbing a stick into the mud, the rough parts digging into his skin._

_ "It can't be…it can't be too late to save her…" Mikan whispered. "I refuse to believe it! Who knows how they'll brainwash her? And then sacrifice her in the end? We need to bring her to the Academy. Narumi-san can take care of her!"_

_ Natsume gritted his teeth. He hated to say this. "Polka-Dots, it's too late. It'll be suicide trying to get her back out. We need reinforcements."_

_ "But then, they'll have shipped her away!" Mikan argued, clenching her fists. "We need to save her now!"_

_ He slammed his hand down. "Do you think I like this any more than you do?" He asked quietly, seething. "We can't just sacrifice ourselves pointlessly like this."_

_ She looked down, tears brimming in her eyes again. _

_ "Polka-Dots, this is reality." He said solemnly, putting a hand on her shoulder._

_ She shook her head, burrowing into his chest. He didn't have the heart to push her away._

_ Natsume woke up the next morning, a bitter taste in his mouth. "What…?" He said out loud._

_ Then his eyes opened wide at the empty space beside him. "No!" He cried. He ripped open the tent, hoping beyond hope that she was—_

_ Only empty covers greeted him. Shaking, he walked dazedly back to the empty fire. It couldn't be…_

_ A small note lay on the ground._

_ With trembling fingers, he picked it up._

_ In her large, childish, handwriting, she had written—_

_ "Dear Natsume. Please forgive me for leaving. You know why I had to do it. Don't worry, I'll come back safely with her! Love, Mikan."_

_ "You idiot." He said, his hands crumpling the note. But he put it into his pocket all the same. And clenching his teeth, he took after her._

_ Fire and burned trees greeted him a few hours later. He dispelled it with a wave of his hand, and found her, coughing slightly, with…_

_ "You idiot!" He hissed, tears threatening to spill out. But he smiled all the same, offering a hand to the little girl, who smiled._

_ "See? I told you I would come back out safely!" She said smugly, standing up, holding the little girl's hand._

_ He looked up at the heavens, thanking Kami (God). "You're safe. Let's go."_

_ "Is that so?"_

_ Natsume seethed in horror, staring at the man behind Mikan._

_ "Little kitty-cat, looks like you've brought me the Black Cat as well as little Sana-chan with the Zombie Alice here…" he smiled cruelly at Mikan, who looked transfixed with horror._

_ "You bastard!" Natsume snarled, getting into position._

_ "Oh, I wouldn't be so fast if I were you, Black Cat." The man said languidly. As if on cue, people with equally malevolent looks revealed themselves._

_ "How—"_

_ "Oh, it was quite easy. Kitty-cat here thought she was safe to stop using her Nullification, so we used the 'Concealment' Alice when you arrived."_

_ "You—"_

_ "Now, would you like a fight or not?" The man said, looking amused. "Of course, it'd just be better to give up."_

_ "Never!" Mikan said, her expression like a tigress._

_ "I thought so." He said smugly. "Well, first hand over little Sana-chan. She'll just get in the way, won't she?"_

_ Natsume moved faster than the speed of light. "Your fight is with me." He snarled, gathering fire in his palms._

_ The man casually raised a finger, and Natsume jerked back as ice crawled around his legs. He concentrated, and flames appeared around them._

_ "Sorry, honey." The man said sympathetically. "These aren't able to be burned by even your fire."_

_ Natsume's eyes widened. He willed them to burn—to do anything—but the flames just flickered and disappeared._

_ "Told you, didn't I?" The man said casually. "Do you still want to play?"_

_ "Natsume!" Mikan screamed. "Nullification!" The ice disappeared in a burst of black._

_ The man's eyes narrowed. "I guess you still want to do it…"_

_ In a flash, Mikan had pushed Natsume aside and thrust the girl into his arms. Staring the other man in the eye, she didn't look at Natsume as she gritted out the words. "Take her and go, Natsume!"_

_ He clenched his fists. "No."_

_ "Natsume! You have to save her!"_

_ Blood seeped out from beneath his skin as his fingernails dug into his hands._

_ The man looked enraged for the first time. "You idiot girl, you're going to sacrifice your own life for them?"_

_ She smiled. "Yes. Natsume—go!"_

_ Natsume gritted his teeth, and made his flames dance up around the others—he couldn't touch them, but this would make sure they didn't interfere._

_ And scooping the child up roughly, he ran for the first time, never feeling more like a coward. He couldn't do anything this time._

_ As soon as he put the crying child in a safe place, he immediately turned back around, running like he had never before, to return—she had to be safe, she did…_

_ The first thing he noticed was the acrid stench of poisoned fire. The trees were blackened with it, mere ashes. The unconscious bodies of the cruel enemies lay strewn around the place—Natsume's lip curled—Mikan could never bear to really hurt someone—and he leaped onto a tree—she had to be around somewhere, didn't she?_

_ He found her at last, when the rain had begun to fall, under a Sakura tree with only a few blossoms remaining. And he knew, in his heart, that she was going to die._

"No!" Natsume jerked away, gasping—that had to be a dream, that had to be. His hands trembled, and he lowered his gaze, staring at the lifeless body before him. So it wasn't a dream. It wasn't a dream. It was what had happened…so long ago, yesterday.

With a sort of calm, he scooped her up, and gently deposited her in the tree, where she wouldn't be harmed.

"I'm sorry, Mikan." He said, his voice hoarse. "I know you would want me to live a happy life and not worry. But I was telling the truth when I said I couldn't live without you…my sunshine…and I heard that if two people die around the same time, they would be more likely reunited in the next life." Tears brimmed in his eyes. "So you have to understand, Mikan."

And those words were the last words Natsume Hyuuga spoke as he unleashed all his Alice, but his words would be lost on the world forever. Only the charred remains of the enemies, Mikan's peaceful body, and Natsume's small smile—_Mikan, I'll see you again—_as he leaned back against the tree and his heart slow and stop remained as Ruka and Hotaru found their two best friends dead two hours later.

**~Four Years Later~**

Hotaru Imai's normally emotionless eyes widened as she stared at the little baby in the orphanage.

"Yes, she was just abandoned yesterday." The nurse said apologetically, stroking the baby girl's head. "If we hadn't found her, she might've died. She's only a few months old."

The baby gave a gurgle, and clutched Hotaru's pinky. "Silly child." Hotaru murmured, looking into the child's innocent brown eyes and her honey-brown hair.

"I don't know…she reminds me of someone, don't you think?" Ruka Nogi said wistfully, the grandson of his first bunny rabbit looking curiously over his shoulder.

Hotaru nodded.

"Yes, well, if you would like to adopt her," the nurse said hopefully, "It'd be wonderful! Not many children get adopted here. But I have to warn you, her fine motor skills seem to be a little slow."

"Sounds just like her…" Hotaru whispered, tears gathering at the edges of her eyes.

"So, can we really…?" Ruka said, awed. "Have a child?"

Hotaru rolled her eyes. "We're not having a child, you dummy."

Ruka pouted slightly, but he held out his arms to the child all the same, smiling gently at the laughing baby.

"We'd like to take her." Hotaru said, her voice slightly choked (but no one could tell except Ruka). "And we'd like to name her Mikan."

And Mikan smiled.

Five hundred mile away, at the nurse's residence at Alice Academy, Sumire Shouda lay exhausted, her dark green hair sharply contrasting with her pale skin.

"Sumire…" Koko said reverently. "Are you okay?"

She rolled her eyes. "Of course I am, Koko, you dummy. Now wouldn't you like to know what I named our little boy?" She gestured at the tiny bundle under her arm.

"Ms. Shouda!" The nurse burst into the room. "Now that you've given birth, Narumi-san asks for permission to take over your class."

Sumire scowled. "That's just like him. He'll ruin the perfect class of mine." But then she smiled at Koko. "But I'd like to know Natsume before he gets his Alice, you know? So I guess Narumi can take over."

Koko's eyes widened. "You named him Natsume?"

"Look at him."

The mind-reader read into the mind of the already strong-looking dark-haired baby with piercing eyes.

In the confusing realm of the baby mind, he could detect one thing—the baby's instincts were very good for his age and that he was definitely strong-willed—what could be described as _Weird man, I want Mommy—_could be heard in his head.

Koko blinked. "Well, that's definitely Natsume, alright.

The nurse chuckled. "Well, I have a strange sense of déjà vu, for some reason…"

Koko hugged Sumire, and she laughed into his shoulder as she held Natsume.


End file.
